December 2016 archive

Donald Trump’s appointment of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has the endorsement of some of the researchers at the Pacific Research Institute, as witnessed this past weekend in the Oklahoman. The paper carried an opinion piece from Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow in business and economics at PRI. In it, Windegarden said Pruitt’s appointment could …

With oil prices hovering right around $53 a barrel for West Texas Intermediate, the rig counts in Oklahoma and across the U.S. are up over the past week. Baker Hughes Company in Houston reports Oklahoma’s count grew by two to reach 86. A year ago, the statewide count was 87. Nationally, the rig count grew …

Tulsa-based Empire Petroleum Corporation has announced a deal where it is making a nearly $18 million purchase of half of a newly-formed venture that includes oil and gas properties in the Texas Panhandle. The deal is with Masterson West, LLC, a Tulsa firm that created a new entity called Masterson West II, LLC. Empire contributed …

Oklahoma’s latest jobless figures show the state’s economy is still struggling with the impact of what happened starting two years ago to the oil and gas industry. Rates went up in 59 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties in November according to the Employment Security Commission and the November rate was 5.1 percent. “We saw unemployment rates …

Former White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray says Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is the right person to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Writing in the Washington Examiner, Gray said it’s time for Donald Trump’s EPA pick to rein in the EPA. “Instead of sensibly enforcing laws and regulations already on the books, EPA …

Knowing that education is as important in oil and gas as it is to the wind industry, the governor has announced a goal in Oklahoma to increase post-secondary education and training attainment. Called Launch Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin’s new goal is 70 percent of Oklahoma’s residents, ages 25-to-64 to complete a postsecondary degree, certificate or …

When it comes to the change of leadership at the White House and how it might affect the nation’s oil and gas industry, the head of the Consumer Energy Alliance says there definitely is “optimism” in the industry. It’s what Tommy Foltz, Executive Director of the CEA said in a recent interview with OK Energy …

Oklahoma City-based Gulfport Energy Corporation announced Thursday that Keri Crowell has been appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer effective January 4, 2017, according to a company press release. Crowell replaces Aaron Gaydosik, who is resigning to pursue an outside business opportunity. “Keri has been a key contributor to Gulfport’s success during her 11-year …

Oil futures dropped on Thursday after several reports revealed data that showed a rise in domestic crude oil inventories, according to Bloomberg MarketWatch. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, February West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 29 cents, or 0.6%, to end at $53.77 a barrel. The contract traded as high as $54.21 a barrel …